


Lonesome

by disillusionist9



Series: Choose Dare [22]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Light Angst, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-12 09:33:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7929640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disillusionist9/pseuds/disillusionist9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Drabble #22 of 100 | Hermione is left alone after Harry and the Weasleys leave Hogwarts, after Arthur Weasley's attack, and only one person seems to notice she's lonesome.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lonesome

Several feet of snow blanketed the world outside the library window. A storm had persistently battered the castle and its inhabitants into a quiet submission, lasting for several days, and solidifying the gloomy pall that Umbridge brought to Hogwarts.

Hermione was spending the time before leaving for the Christmas holidays in a window seat of the library overlooking the castle lawns. With a more personal view than the one from Gryffindor Tower, as the library was only on the first floor, she could make out not just the shapes of first years but could also see the colors of their House scarves between thrown snowballs. The book in her hand was one of her own, well loved and dog eared in places, and it lay open on her lap waiting for her to begin reading again.

The cool glass pressing against her forehead helped cool the redness in her cheeks and some of the puffiness beneath her eyes. She, Harry, and Ron didn't always walk down to breakfast together so she wasn't worried about not seeing them until she'd gotten halfway through her meal and the boys were still not in the Great Hall. Disconcerted didn't begin to describe how she felt, nor did the phrase "at loose ends" once she realized that the entire Weasley tribe of Hogwarts students were gone.

Sitting across from McGonagall in the Transfiguration Professor's office, Hermione let her tears run freely, her level of frustration and worry surpassing her desire to provide a tough exterior. Her professor served her tea, let her cry, but sent her on her way since there was really no action she could take to remove Hermione from the school early like the others.

A hand tapped a pane of glass a few down from her forehead. Sitting up straight she instinctively moved to smooth back her hair; her hasty movements knocked the open book from her lap and she gasped as it fell.

Blaise's hand shot out to catch her personal copy of _Hogwarts, A History_ before it could fall to the library floor. Casually, he let the book fall open in his palms to a random page, though he couldn't tell exactly what page she was on before he startled her.

"Interesting choice," he said in an undertone. There were neat, handwritten notes spider webbing across each page and some sections were completely crossed out. He held out the book to Hermione who had left the window seat during his brief perusal of the text.

Hermione cleared her throat, but the signs of her previous tears remained as she whispered, "Thank you." She took the book back the same way a parent would receive their swaddled newborn, tucking it into her chest.

Blaise nodded, shoving his now empty hands into his pockets. "You're one of the only ones left in the library, Granger. Can't have the Gryffindor Golden Girl missing dinner, can we?"

For the first time in hours, she took in the details of her surroundings, past the fact that she was alone and in the library. The shouts of first years and other students could no longer be heard in the distance through the glass and the lanterns were sputtering to life around the bookshelves.

"I...I suppose I need to thank you again," she said, her voice a bit stronger than before.

"Don't mention it," said the dark eyed Slytherin boy as he walked away, a brisk snap to his robes as he turned.

As Hermione watched him walk away and out of the library, should could have sworn he hesitated at the door, but he didn't turn to look at her as he walked out. She'd had limited interactions with Blaise despite sharing hundreds of classes together in the last five years and none stood out as vividly as that moment in the library. Right when she was feeling the most alone and forgotten a beautiful stranger brought her back to reality.


End file.
